Military families brace for missed paychecks as shutdown impacts are already accumulating

An Army soldier in Grafenwoehr, Germany, in July 2022. Daniel Karmann/DPA/Picture Alliance/Getty Images/File

Canceled school events, growing lines at military food pantries, accumulating fears tied to missed paychecks and the potential need for loans to stay afloat — US military families are already feeling the impacts of the government shutdown that is stretching into its second week and are preparing for worse days ahead.

While most Americans are largely removed from the direct repercussions of a shutdown, military families are facing sharp disruptions to lives already burdened with the significant sacrifice that comes with serving.

“We should never put our troops in this position,” one military spouse, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution fo